Who replaces injured driver Denny Hamlin? It's complicated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Joe Gibbs Racing is not ready to name a replacement driver for Denny Hamlin, who will miss a minimum of five races with a fractured vertebra in his lower back.

Hamlin and his No. 11 team will have input on who gets into the car, but team president J.D. Gibbs said the preference is using one driver for most races Hamlin is sidelined.

"That consistency would be helpful," Gibbs said in a conference call.

Although JGR has Elliott Sadler and Brian Vickers running Nationwide Series cars, neither is totally free of commitments to drive Hamlin's Cup car. Vickers is scheduled to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing at Martinsville next weekend, and Sadler has a deal with sponsorship to run a fourth JGR car at Kansas and Talladega.

It raises the possibility that Mark Martin could be in play for the ride in a deal with MWR for Vickers, who already is scheduled to run nine races this season in Martin's car. MWR is already looking at Vickers as a possible future replacement for Martin, and Vickers is scheduled to drive Martin's No. 55 Toyota at Martinsville.

Under one scenario, Martin would move to JGR to drive Hamlin's car, and Vickers would drive for MWR until Hamlin is cleared.

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